Number 1 on Google – Should I pay to get there?

13 Aug Number 1 on Google – Should I pay to get there?

This is one of the most popular questions we get asked and it’s one that involves more hard work – than a magic wand. Here at Allied Health Marketing we see the advantages in growing a website organically, however developing a website that can be found on page one takes time and effort and some think a paid quick fix is a better option. But is it?

What we are talking about is google adverts (Per Per Click or PPC). If you go to Google right now and search for anything you will get a few results that sit at the top of the page. These are actually paid for and have “Ad” sitting next to them.

Fast and effective? Perhaps but what are the advantages and disadvantages.

DISADVANTAGE: With organic SEO, there is no guarantee of a specific result. You are competing for position in the search engines and regardless how well each page is optimised there are other influences on how pages are ranked which may be beyond your control. Be very wary of the promise of “I can make you number one” – Google is constantly changing the way it ranks pages and you can see your website bob up and down the rankings at times.

Pay Per Click (PPC)

DISADVANTAGE: Bidding on Google AdWords and Yahoo Overture starts from $0.10 per click which implies a very cost effective method of acquiring customers. The hidden drawback here however is that for competitive keywords and phrases the bidding can quickly soar to a very unattractive $15 per click! Achieving top positions for competitive keywords can quickly blow your budget.

A couple of things to consider before you turn to advertising as the answer!